Rich Mead, left, owner of Sage in 2007 file photo. Photo taken at Sage on the Coast, which closed in 2010. Now, Sage, open for 15 years, is closing at the end of 2012. REGISTER FILE PHOTO

Is the Irvine Co. cleaning house?

On the surface, it would seem so as another restaurant tenant has announced plans to exit one of the developer's retail centers. Sage, a local pioneer of seasonally driven dishes, is closing after a 15-year run at Eastbluff Village Center and two years after its sister-restaurant Sage on the Coast closed at Crystal Cove Promenade.

"We have unsuccessfully attempted over the last year and a half to reach an agreement with our landlord, the Irvine Co., to extend our lease," chef-owner Rich Mead recently said on the restaurant's website.

After being prompted by Mead, some 200 diners of the Newport Beach restaurant have reached out to the developer about the closure – slated for the end of this year. Some have been supportive of the change, Irvine Co. company spokeswoman Erin Freeman said.

A great many, though, are steamed about losing a "true" farm-to-table dining establishment, including Laura Avery of the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Avery, supervisor of the well-respected outdoor market, told the Irvine Co. in an email that she was "distressed" by Sage's departure.

"Rich is among the first of the chefs to create a farmer-driven menu that celebrates the seasons and allows chefs like him to express their true talents," Avery wrote. "He has built his restaurant on pride and quality, and Sage is simply irreplaceable."

When reached by phone, Avery said that Mead is one of a few Orange County chefs who drives every week to Santa Monica to buy farm-fresh ingredients for his restaurants.

"Rich isn't a franchise. He's one of a kind," said Avery, who lives in Orange County.

But the Irvine Co. won't budge. Freeman said Sage's closure is imminent.

"In late 2011, Sage and the Irvine Co. agreed that the restaurant lease would expire in December 2012 and wouldn't be renewed. We, over time, have worked closely with them to weather the ups and downs of the economy."

Mead confirmed that the Newport Beach-based developer has offered Sage rent relief during the recession.

"They helped me when the economy went bad," he said. "We paid a discounted rent."

If he could turn around the business in 2012, Mead thought he could persuade the Irvine Co. to let him stay another couple of years. Year-over-year sales are up 8 percent, and diners are returning in force, he said. Despite the positive numbers, Mead was unable to renegotiate a new lease.

"I was hoping that over the next few months, I could show them what I was doing," said Mead, who also runs Canyon Restaurant in Anaheim Hills. "They said they didn't want me to come back."

He has not looked for a place to relocate.

Sage's departure comes as a slew of restaurants leave Irvine Co. shopping centers. Leases were not renewed this year for El Torito Grill, Coco's, Jerry's Famous Deli and Daily Grill in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach.

Many are being replaced by boutique dining establishments – a new post-recession food strategy for the Irvine Co.

"Our Orange County customer is asking for unique, one-of-a-kind type concepts," said Dan Sheridan, president of Irvine Company Retail Properties, in an interview with the Register earlier this year.

Lark Creek Newport Beach, a concept by San Francisco-based Lark Creek Restaurant Group, is taking over the Daily Grill location at Fashion Island. The company's first Orange County restaurant will feature a menu of wood-fired steaks and fish, artisanal cocktails and mock-tails and pastas.

Fig & Olive, known for its clean olive oil-based dishes, is replacing Coco's at Fashion Island. French restaurateur Laurent Halasz, whose other Fig & Olive outposts are in West Hollywood and New York, plans to open the Fashion Island restaurant next year.

As for a Sage replacement?

At this time, no announcement, Freeman said.

"Eastbluff has a very distinct personality, and we recognize the community's desire for a unique restaurant concept that reflects the local character of the center," she said.

RITZ NEWS

Speaking of restaurants with shaky Irvine Co. leases, here's a bit of good news for fans of The Ritz in Newport Beach.

I've previously reported that The Ritz is leaving its landmark spot near Fashion Island in June 2013. But Freeman confirms that the lease has been extended until February 2014.

Ray Jacobi, Ritz managing partner, said he's optimistic about the landmark restaurant's future because talks with the Irvine Co. are going well.

"We're hopeful that there might be a change of heart," Jacobi said. "The fact that they've extended us twice is all good. Relations are good."

OPENINGS

The dining makeover at John Wayne Airport is now complete. Ruby's Diner, Ruby's To Go and Farmer's Market by Laguna Culinary Arts opened recently between Gates 8 and 9. The restaurants are part of a lineup of new food venues at the airport. Last year, Pinkberry, Zov's, Javi's, Jerry's Wood-Fired Dogs and Anaheim Ducks Breakaway Bar & Grill, opened when the airport unveiled its new Terminal C wing.

EVENT

The newly remodeled Bristol Farms in Newport Beach and Melissa's Produce are hosting a New Mexico Hatch Chile Roasting event Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Sunday morning, radio personality Chef Jamie Gwen will be broadcasting her KFWB food and wine show live from the market. I'll be one of Gwen's on-air guests, so stop by and say hello. Address: 810 Avocado Blvd.

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